Starting Five

1. “Just A Little Bit Outside” Breathless headlines on various sites (e.g. “NASA tracks a 1KM rock that could kill millions on rapid Earth approach“) declare that an asteroid is coming perilously close to our planet (one can hope). After clicking, you learn that the asteroid, about the size of a 30-story building, is going to pass by tomorrow a mere 3.6 million miles away.
2. But Here’s Some Real Danger For You Scientists just recorded the warmest January in the 141-year history of keeping weather data. Here’s a pro tip: The GOP doesn’t care. But your ski lift operator does.
3. Buzzer Beaters During locker room interviews yesterday, Houston Astros players insisted to a man that they never used buzzers. And why should we believe them? And if that’s true, what was going on with Jose Altuve insisting to teammates as he approached home plate to not tear off his shirt? And how come they knew enough not to do so?
4. Zion’s New High: He’s only 6’6″, but with that build and that energy rookie Zion Williamson has become a raging bull in the paint. Zion had a career-high 32 last night in a loss at OKC. After 10 career games Zion is averaging 22.1 points per game in just 27.1 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 57.6% from the field. One negative: He needs to improve his free throw percentage (65.4)%. FWIW, there are 19 players averaging more ppg than Zion but all of them average at least 30 minutes per contest.
5. Corruption Unlimited: If Roger Stone gets off with a light sentence, or is pardoned, then we are all living in a corrupt banana republic. Stone threatened a witness, he pled not guilty, he was found guilty on every charge (seven, I think), and now William Barr, in response to a Trump tweet, has said that the four men he assigned to the case asked for too harsh a punishment. When what they did is exactly what happens in every criminal case in the country (not to mention that the suspect threatened a witness). Consider the Rubicon crossed. And once a population understands and observes that justice no longer matters, guess what happens? Everyone starts breaking the rules. Or requesting or granting favors. There’s no more Dad in the house. This is what the Republicans have wrought.

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